Common inflatable implants include prosthetic sphincters and penile prostheses. The inflatable sphincter typically includes an inflatable cuff that is placed around a duct of the patient. When the cuff is inflated, it constricts the duct and inhibits the flow of material through the duct. Deflation of the cuff allows material to pass through the duct. Such artificial sphincters are often used to treat urinary and fecal incontinence. Inflatable penile prostheses typically include a pair of inflatable cylinders which are implanted into the corpus cavernosae of the patient. The cylinders are inflated to produce the desired penis rigidity for a normal erection and deflated to return the penis to a flaccid state. Exemplary inflatable implant systems of the prior art utilizing an inflatable sphincter and inflatable penile prostheses are respectively described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,011,622 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2006/0135845, both of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
FIG. 1 is a simplified diagram of an inflatable implant system 100 of the prior art that is commonly used with one or more inflatable implants 102 in the form of an artificial sphincter or cuff, or penile prosthesis. The system 100 includes the inflatable implant 102, a manual pump 104 and a fluid reservoir 106. The inflatable implant 102 is implanted in the patient in accordance with its designed application. The manual pump 104 is generally implanted in the scrotum of the patient and the reservoir 106 is implanted in the abdomen of the patient. The device 100 forms a closed-loop system that can be filled with a suitable fluid, such as saline.
The inflatable implant 102 is in fluid communication with the pump 104 through tubing 108, and the pump 104 is in fluid communication with the reservoir 106 through tubing 110. Fluid flows between the cuff 102 and the reservoir 106 through the tubing 108, the tubing 110 and the pump 104 to inflate and deflate the cuff 102.
The pump 104 includes a control assembly 112 for controlling the flow of fluid to and from the cuff 102. The pump 104 is operated by manually compressing a pump chamber 114. The control assembly 112 can be configured to direct the fluid from the chamber 114 into the reservoir 106 through the tubing 110 in response to the compression of the chamber 114, which pressurizes the reservoir 106 and deflates the inflatable implant 102. After the pressurization of the reservoir 106, the control assembly 112 gradually releases fluid from the reservoir into the inflatable implant 102 to slowly re-inflate the implant 102. Thus, the fluid in the reservoir 106 is pressure-driven through the tubing 110, the control assembly 112, and the tubing 108, and into the inflatable implant 102 to inflate the implant 102 until the pressures in the reservoir 106 and the inflatable implant 102 equalize. This configuration is typical for inflatable implants in the faun of artificial sphincters. The pressurized state of the reservoir 106 can be preserved through the actuation of a button 115 of the control assembly 112 by the patient.
The control assembly 112 can also be configured to direct the fluid from the chamber 114 into the inflatable implant 102 to inflate the implant 102. This configuration is typical for inflatable implants in the form of penile prostheses. The pressurized state of the inflatable implant 102 can be released through the actuation of the button 115 of the control assembly 112 by the patient. This allows the fluid in the inflatable implant 102 to be pressure-driven through the tubing 108, the control assembly 112, and the tubing 1110, and into the reservoir 106 until the pressures in the reservoir 106 and the inflatable implant 102 equalize.
The compression of the pump chamber 114 and actuation of the button 115 for both the inflatable sphincter and penile prostheses forms of the system 100 require manual dexterity that some patients will not be able to achieve.
Accordingly, some patients who could benefit from the system 100 are not suitable candidates for receiving it.